Knowledge is the very essence of the soul. Consciousness,
knowledge, and soul are much about the same thing. Knowledge is a
positive state of the living being. The instrumental cause of
knowledge is the teacher, language, the thing unknown, or a
representation of it. The teacher does not literally impart
knowledge; he is simply the instrumental cause or means whereby
the person is enabled to develop his own knowledge. The
substantial cause of knowledge is the soul, the sense that a
thing is the cause of its own qualities. Knowledge cannot be put
into a person from the outside; it must be self-developed. And
the words of an instructor will not produce knowledge in the
pupil unless the pupil is in the right state.

There are five kinds of knowledge, and so there are five kinds
of knowledge-obscuring -energies (Jnanavaraniya karma).

Any energy or activity which obscures knowledge by the
senses (Matijnana).

Any energy which obscures knowledge got by interpretation
of signs (Srutajnana). Words are signs of ideas.
Also if a dog sees his master beckon with his hand, the
dog interprets the sign and knows that his master wants
him to come.

Any energy which obscures psychic knowledge (Avadhijnana).
That is, knowledge of material things known by the soul
directly without contact with the end-organ of sense
(clairvoyance etc.).

Any energy which obscures mind-knowing. that is,
knowledge of the ideas and thoughts of others (Manahparyavajnana).

The last three kinds of knowledge are acquired directly by the
soul without the intervention of the senses and the mind.

These are the energies in the first class. And of the five
kinds of knowledge, the first three can be of two kinds, false or
true : thus making eight kinds of knowledge.

In gaining knowledge by the senses (Matijnana) the
following process is gone through, namely, the sense organ, ear,
hand, etc. is brought into contact with the vibrations from the
external object, and an excitation in the sense organ is aroused (vyanjanaavagraha).
then follows an excitation in the mind (artha-avagraha)
and the consciousness comes to be in the state where it asks the
question : "What is this?" and the question refers to
the object sensed, and not to the excitation in the sense organ.
The mind may also pass through this stage when, upon picturing
something mentally to itself which was seen in the past, it asks
the question: "What was that?" The mind itself does not
come in contact with physical objects. The next stage in the
process is a consciousness of similarities and differences (iha);
a sort of cogitation which goes on in the mind. This stage is
followed by reaching a conclusion as to what the object is, or is
not (avaya). Then the final stage in the process is that
the thing can be remembered (dharana); or that the
knowledge gained continues; also the life may be changed in
consequence of the new knowledge.

These are the stages passed through in acquiring knowledge by
the senses (Matijnana). And any energy in us, which
prevents the operation of any part of the process would be an
energy of the first class, or knowledge-obscuring.

When these unnatural activities are stopped, then the inherent
qualities of the soul become active and actual. Memory, judgment,
perception, etc., are the results of the stopping of these
unnatural knowledge-obscuring energies. the constitution of man
is such that as soon as he removes moral vices, his intellectual
processes flow into a pure channel.

In speaking of knowledge, it was understood to be detailed
knowledge. Before we know a thing in a detailed way there is the
stage where we simply see, hear, or otherwise become conscious of
it in a general way without going into its ins and outs. We
simply know it as belonging to a class; we may know it as a
horse, for instance, without going into any further details as to
its individual characteristics. this is the first stage of
knowledge; it may be called undefined knowledge or indefinite
cognition (darsana). If this stage is not experienced there can
be no knowledge of the thing. The second class of the energies in
question includes any of our activities which prevent this first
stage of knowledge. They would be such states as sleep, trance,
etc., in which the senses do not work and the very first stage of
knowledge by the senses is prevented. According to the Jain
teachings sleep is not absolutely necessary in order to be
healthy and happy, otherwise permanent omniscience could not be
reached. (See clause 15, Deity, Chapter V).

This class also includes energies which prevent the first
stage of psychic knowledge (avadhi.)

Energies, the nature of which is to cause any activity in us
which in its operation causes either pain or pleasure. These are
distinguished from feelings of anger, fear, greed, sex passion,
etc., because feelings of pain and pleasure as here meant in
technical sense are not necessarily so hindering to the progress
of the soul that omniscience cannot be attained (Vedaniya
agahati karma). If, however, we identify ourselves with
either of them we stop, and do not continue in thought about the
thing causing them. They are both unnatural to the pure soul, for
there is no pain or pleasure in awareness; blissfulness is a
natural quality of the pure soul and accompanies consciousness,
while in man and animals there may be pain and consciousness of
pain at the same time, but the two are different.

Energies, the nature of which is to infatuate us so that we
cannot distinguish between right and wrong belief (Darsana-Mohaniya)
and so that we are prevented from acting rightly (Caritra-Mohaniya).
Thus there are two chief kinds of these forces first, that which
obstructs our faculty of realizing and relishing the truth, and
secondly, that which in its operation makes us unable to act
rightly, - it is moral uncleanness and non-perception of what is
right. Right action as here meant is right action accompanied by
the conviction that it is right.

Darsana-Mohaniya:

Mithyatva Mohaniya karma

That degree by reason of which the person does not believe in
the truth at all when it is presented to him. By reason of the
operation of this force the person is entirely under the rule of
delusion; what is false seems true to him, and what is true seems
false. One of the objects of philosophy and religion is to wake
us up from our delusions. When a man, knowing the truth, speaks
untruth, his works do not correspond with his thoughts. But when
he is deluded his speech may correspond with his thought and yet
be untruth; it is the expression of a delusion. In the Jain
Philosophy the measure of truth is held to be knowledge purged of
all infatuating elements. When we are deluded we cannot at the
time know it; if we knew it, we should not be in a state of
delusion, but in a state of knowledge. When we are not deluded we
know that we are not; and in order to wake up from a state of
delusion into a state in which we know that we are not deluded we
have to remove our moral vices, especially intense and lifelong
anger, greed, etc. (Mithyatva Mohaniya karma).

Misra Mohaniya karma

The second degree of the energies in us whose nature it is to
infatuate us so that we cannot distinguish between right and
wrong belief is that degree by reason of which we doubt the truth
after we have believed it; we believe for some time and then
there is doubt; we are vacillating. When this degree is active we
just let the truth pass by without either liking it or disliking
it; the state is a sort of indifference; whereas when the first
named degree of this kind of energy is active, we positively
dislike and reply the truth. (Misra Mohaniya karma).

Samyaktva Mohaniya karma

The third degree is that by reason of which while believing in
the truth most of the time, yet at certain times we feel that
three is still something more to be known; there is just a little
vacillating in the state (Samyaktva Mohaniya karma).

We now come to the kind which in its operation makes us unable
to act rightly. It is this kind of force in us that covers up the
heart and makes us unkind, unsympathetic, and, when intense,
cruel. For certain reasons of convenience in classification and
system twenty-five kinds are enumerated in the Jain doctrine.
Each one is of an intoxicating nature. They are :

Caritra-Mohaniya

1 to 16. Anger, or rash and injurious action. Pride, causing
us to ignore the sanctity of life in inferior beings, or to
overlook good qualities in a otherwise inferior. Deceitfulness,
where the thought does not correspond with the speech or with the
action. Greed, which arises from the identification of ourselves
with that which is not ourselves. Of each of these intoxicating
energies four degrees of intensity are recognized, the one which
would last for the rest of the life being the most intense. Thus
out of twenty-five energies we have sixteen which prevent us in
greater or lesser degree from acting rightly.

17 to 25. The remaining nine energies are false liking, false
disliking due to prejudice, laughing and joking - in this mood we
are not in the straight line of the acquisition of truth; sorrow
or grief, in which state our actions are injurious to the body,
also we may wrongfully blame others; fear prevents right action,
the more there is of kind desire to do good to others the less
there will be of fear; disgust this stops right thought and right
action. Thus we have six of the nine energies; the remaining
three are the sex passion as found in males, females, and
neuters.

Thus we have twenty-eight forces in us under the influence of
which we allow ourselves to be deluded and to act wrongly. They
may be compared to a stimulating intoxicating liquor. When we
have freed ourselves from their influence we shall always form
right beliefs and always act rightly, making no mistakes.

The energies which come under this class are those which
prevent our having a continuous life in our own soul as pure
substance, they are those by reason of which the duration of any
particular life period in a particular material body is
determined.

They may be compared to fetters preventing the realization of
the spiritual continuous life.

There are four kinds of this class of energies namely:

that kind by reason of which we live a certain length of
time in the pleasurable condition known as that of the Devas
(angels), with fine subtle bodies;

that kind by reason of which we live a certain length of
time in the condition where there is no pleasure at all,
but pain all the time, and have subtle material bodies;

that kind by reason of which we live a certain length of
time in the human condition;

that kind by reason of which we live a certain length of
time as animal, insect, bird, fish, work, tree, etc.

Although the length of the life is determined, it is not a
given number of years that is fixed; because the life may be fast
or slow. It is rather the "quantity" of life than the
number of years. It is like water in a sponge, the quantity is a
fixed one, but it can be squeezed out quickly as in cases of
death by accident.

According to the Jain Philosophy we are the makes of our
bodies; the height, shape, color, tone of voice, gait, etc., are
all fashioned as the result of forces which we ourselves have
generated in the past and which are in subtle combination with
us. These forces are operating all the time in us and on account
of them the limbs, organs, and other parts of the body are
formed; but these things are done by us in ignorance. And as
these forces are combined with the soul in a subtle way and are
not separable by a mere mechanically taking apart, it follows
that as long as they are in us our bodies will be with our souls.
In this class there are one hundred and three energies; they give
us the various factors of our objective personality.

There are five kinds of bodies which an entity can have in
combination with his soul; and these five bodies two remain with
the departing soul at death, right up to the time of his final
entrance into everlasting life where he does not take these two
nor any material bodies. The five kinds are :

The ordinary gross physical body that we see and touch.

A subtle material body which cannot ordinarily be seen;
it is changeable and may be large and then small, have
one shape and then another. The beings in the pleasant or
angel state have this kind of body; also those in the
state where is no pleasure but pain all the time have it.

A body that can be sent by the person to a Master. Only
very advanced beings can assume this body; and the idea
is that the soul is with it, is with the physical body
also, and in the intermediate space all at the same time.

A body which consumes food and, when highly developed and
rendered more subtle, can be protruded from the person
and burn up the things or bodies.

A body which is made up of all the energies now being
classified under eight kinds (karmas). This is
changing every moment. And this (karman) and the
"fire" body (taijasa) just above
mentioned are the two which stay with the soul at death
and only leave it at its final liberation.

Of these five we all have the physical, the "fire"
body, and the "karmana" body (the fifth, just
mentioned). We may or we may not have the subtle body; while only
the very far advanced can have the third kind (aharaka).

None of these bodies is conscious. The awareness,
consciousness, or knowledge in the person is quality of the
invisible, intangible soul having these five bodies or any of
them.

The energies which come in this class are those which
determine the surroundings, family, etc., into which we are born.
There are two sub-divisions of this class, namely, the force
which takes us to high family circumstances, and that force which
takes us into low circumstances.

The energies here are those which in their operation prevent
or hinder our doing what is desirable to be done when we wish to
do it or are willing to do it. In the fourth class of energies
the inability to act rightly is owing to moral uncleanness and
consequent non-perception of what is right; whereas in this
eighth class the right action is seen, but is not done; there is
some weakness in us.

There are five sub-divisions of this class, namely :

Any force by reason of which we do not give; although it
is the right time and place, and we have the means, still
we do not give.

Any force by reason of the operation of which we do not
make profit. We are fit persons, and follow the usual
methods, and yet we do not gain.

Energy by reason of which we do not enjoy thing which can
be enjoyed more than once; picture, furniture, scenery,
etc. The things themselves are not faulty, and yet we are
miserable although surrounded by pleasant things.

Energy by reason of which we do not enjoy those thing
which can be enjoyed only once, like food, or drink.

Energy which acts as a hindrance to the will; we should
like to conduct ourselves in a certain way, yet we do
not. We know the way is right, yet we do not do it; there
is weakness.

Thus we have eight classes of energies in us. All these are
unnatural to the pure soul, and obscure some quality of it, and
the qualities become actual when these foreign forces are
removed.